| | By John Clayton
ESPN.com
As the NFL enters a new millennium, 31 teams stand on shaky footing each day. One injury can devastate a team, while the salary cap prevents a cure.
|  | | Terrell Davis injured his knee against the Jets on Oct. 3. |
The Jets, Falcons and Broncos went from contenders to pretenders once they lost Vinny Testaverde, Jamal Anderson and Terrell Davis. The Lions' season hinges on whether doctors were correct when they said quarterback Charlie Batch can recover from a displaced knee by early September. And where would the Packers be without quarterback Brett Favre, who has survived an NFL record consecutive 125 games?
Still, the return of the 1998 rushing leaders -- Davis and Anderson -- plus Testaverde could revive past glories. Davis has the best chance to succeed because of the talent around him. Davis lost the quarterbacking leadership of John Elway and the sure hands of Shannon Sharpe, but he still has the same offensive line opening holes for him. Davis also can team up -- for maybe 10 plays a game -- with Olandis Gary, a former Georgia teammate who rushed for 1,159 yards as a rookie.
Broncos trainers marveled at Davis' work ethic this offseason. Like Testaverde, who fought back from an Achilles tear, Davis worked out on his own and with trainers to stay well ahead of the rehabilitation schedule from major knee surgery. Testaverde added an extra room for hot and cold tubs to the 2,000-square foot exercise room in his home outside of Tampa.
While Testaverde's rehab has been labeled a complete success, his Achilles' heal this season could be the lack of speed and height at the wide receiver position after the Jets traded Pro Bowler Keyshawn Johnson to Tampa Bay. Dependable possession receiver Wayne Chrebet becomes Vinny's "go-to" receiver, but he's only 5-foot-10. Dedric Ward, who has only 65 career catches, is a mere 5-9.
Unless oft-injured former Dophins first-round bust Yatil Green picks up the slack, Testaverde, who is going to have enough trouble staying somewhat mobile as a 36-year-old coming off an Achilles' tear, might spend his training camp nights campaigning for the acquisition of disgruntled Bengals receiver Carl Pickens.
Of the three key returning injured players, Anderson has the biggest concerns, particularly because he's a bigger back than Davis. Tendinitis in his reconstructed knee slowed his recovery. Falcons coach Dan Reeves limited his work at a late June minicamp and plans to be extra cautious throughout training camp.
"It's going to be a constant nag," Anderson said of his tendinitis. "It's one of those situations where you have to guard against something becoming serious."
To help matters, Anderson plans to play at around 230 to 235 pounds this season, hoping that being lighter on his feet will limit the inflammation in the replaced ligaments in his knee.
As everyone witnessed last season, it's difficult to cast too much doom on top players coming back slowly in July from injuries from a previous season. Those willing to write off Deion Sanders in 1999 for one of the worst Turf toes in recent NFL season watched Redskins owner Daniel Snyder sign him for $8 million a season. Defensive tackle Bryant Young of the 49ers earned Comeback Player of the Year honors as he returned from a 1998 broken leg that had numerous complications when doctors were betting he wouldn't make it back by midseason.
While Davis, Anderson and Testaverde were away, the league changed around them. The beastly AFC East, last preseason's mecca of top teams, weakened with the coaching departures of Bill Parcells from the Jets and Jimmy Johnson from the Dolphins. Parcells' former defensive coordinator Bill Belichick has to piece together the fragments from the decline of the Patriots since Parcells' departure after Super Bowl XXXI.
The young AFC Central has grown up and grown past the Steelers, who dominated the division for most of the 1990s. The Jaguars have assembled the division's most talented group of players, but the Titans' efforts to find players to beat them worked three times last year and earned an AFC title. The Ravens might be the AFC's next best non-playoff team, and the Bengals are forming a powerful young offense around quarterback Akili Smith by drafting receivers Peter Warrick and Ron Dugan.
Anderson comes back to an NFC West that was one of the most aggressive divisions in player acquisitions this offseason. The Saints reloaded with quarterback Jeff Blake and receivers Joe Horn and Jake Reed. The Rams moved to the top of the NFL heap with a lightning-fast offense featuring halfback Marshall Faulk and receivers Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt and Az-Zahir Hakim.
"The Rams were not unlike what we did in 1998 when we led the league in time of possession and our running game was so potent," Anderson said. "Winning the time of possession allows your defense to do more things to create turnovers and make stops. You need the offense and defense working well together to be successful and the Rams did that."
The spending spree in the NFC was highlighted by the battles among the Redskins, Cowboys and Bucs. The Redskins took Sanders away from the Cowboys along with signing defensive end Bruce Smith and safety Mark Carrier and drafting linebacker LaVar Arrington. The Cowboys used the Sanders' savings to add Joey Galloway's speed and Jackie Harris' hands to the offense. The Bucs traded for wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson to turn their "red-zone" scoring from among the worst to among the best.
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